This Day
by element90
Summary: A day in the lives of Keely and Phil. Apprehension, realization, and laughter.


I'm trying to get into multiple-chapter-story mode again. This is how I do that. I write one-shots. Plus, I'm bored and avoiding studying. Hope you all enjoy!

This Day

"Too many people."

"Keel...you invited every one of them."

"But that was before I realized I'd actually have to walk out there in front of them," she says with a wince. "And then _stand_ in front of them and..."

"Breathe."

"I can't." She tries to swallow. "Ok, that's not a lump." Her eyes widen in panic. "It's my stomach."

"Keel," he says with a light laugh as he takes her by the shoulders gently. "Relax."

She exhales deeply. "All right. I can do this."

He nods. "Of course you can." He grins. "I hope you can, otherwise..." He peeks through the crack in the door at the large mass of familiar and some not-so-familiar and some completely unfamiliar faces. "You're gonna have a lot.." he says as he turns back to her, "and I do mean _a lot_, of upset guests to deal with."

"Phil."

"Yes?"

"You're not helping."

"Sorry."

He closes the door and turns back to her. He still can't believe it. Seeing her like this, on this day, the last moments before she becomes...

"Ugh!" She mutters something unintelligible under her breath as she twists about trying to catch a glimpse of her back in the mirror.

"Stupid zipper."

Phil smiles. "A minor flaw, Keel. That's all."

"Minor like Mt. Everest-minor," she scoffs. "Just help me out, please?"

His fingers lightly graze her skin, and he feels the familiar emotion bubbling up to the surface, something he hasn't felt in quite a while, something he's not felt while being this close to her. He tries to focus on the task at hand. He tries hard, but his efforts are useless. She's all ready gotten to him.

The moment grows tense as his usually nimble finger dexterity quickly evades him and he struggles to perform a simple act, something his fingers have been trained to do since he was a toddler. No big deal.

She glances over her shoulder at him, and he mentally curses himself for his lack of composure. He finally, by some miracle, manages to zip up the one or two inches. She raises her eyebrow at him. He decides to go with his patented spot of humor to hide his humiliation.

"I hope it doesn't come down out _there_."

"Phil," she whines.

"Sorry."

"It keeps doing that 'cause it's too tight," she says with a disgusted look at her own reflection, "and that's because I've been eating like a pig for the last month." She turns to face him. "And that's because I've been so nervous with all the planning I didn't know what else to do but stuff my face."

She glances down at herself. "I'm fat in this thing." She throws her hands in the air. "Of all the days to be fat."

"Keely, you are not fat." He smiles. "You are perfect."

"I wish you could be up there with me," she says feeling more at ease, and slightly less heavy.

"Well, I don't think either Via's or Tia's dress would fit properly, you know, in the chest area."

She smiles. "How do you do that?" He tilts his head. "Make me feel better no matter what."

He opens his mouth to respond in a witty manner, but the words disappear from the tip of his tongue as he becomes unaware of anything except for her gaze.

His mom slips through the door quietly. They don't even notice. She watches them standing close to each other, temporarily lost inside their own little world, and she can't help but feel a bit sad.

She softly clears her throat, hating to end their moment, but needing to make her presence known before her son might assume she is spying on him.

"Oh, you look.." Her eyes shine bright with adoration. "I have never seen such a sight."

Phil steps away from her, and she ducks her head shyly. "Thanks Mrs. Diffy."

"Keely, when are you ever going to call me Barbara?" she teases.

"Old habit."

"Well, you are simply stunning." She moves backs towards the door. "Lloyd sends his best wishes."

Keely smiles. "He _can_ come in."

She shakes her head. "No, I was just popping in for a quick hello. We don't want to interrupt anything."

Keely glances over at Phil, but he just shrugs.

"Well, I better grab my seat before a certain young man, who has been eyeballing it ever since we arrived, steals it." She looks at Keely again as she places her hand over her chest. "May this day be the beginning of many more happy days to come, Keely."

"Thanks, Mrs. Dif...Barbara."

She nods and glances over at Phil. "You look sharp, Honey."

He rolls his eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

She gives them a little wave and hurries out the door. Keely sighs. "I miss your parents."

"Me too," Phil replies stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black slacks.

Keely sits on the small cushioned bench near the window. "Sometimes I wish I could have stayed in Pickford."

"If only that dream college was there, huh?" asks Phil as he joins her.

She nods. "That town really would be a great place to settle down in. I mean, I was settled there for 18 years. It was nice."

"It was."

"Sometimes," she says casting a glance at the floor, "I wish I could go back to being a teenager."

"You do?"

"Yeah." She frowns and shrugs her shoulders. "I would've done things differently," she says slowly.

"Like what?" he asks in disbelief. "You did everything right, Keel. Look at yourself. You're everything you wanted to be at this point in your life."

She sighs and thinks, maybe not everything. "Right. I'm well on the road to successfully obtaining my goals."

"Once more with feeling," he jokes quietly as he gently gives her a little push with his shoulder.

That earns him a small smile. "I don't know. I'm proud of my life, and the accomplishments I've all ready made. The whole career thing is right on track...but...somehow, sixteen seemed more..."

"More what?"

Complete. That's exactly what it was, despite being young and sheltered from the world and all the experiences it has offered her since she left home, she was more complete at the fragile, confused, age of sixteen than she is five years later in all her adult glory.

"Never mind. I'm just rambling," she says as she waves off his concern. "Jitters."

Before Phil can respond, she rises to her feet and moves to the door where she dares another peek. The setup is extravagant. It's precisely what she ordered. Precisely. She closes the door and leans against it. Yeah, she thinks, precisely.

"It's beautiful out there."

Phil stands and moves towards her slowly. "But...?"

She glances up at the ceiling. "But it should've been under a blanket of stars, with a..."

"Soft piano harmonizing with sounds of the night?" he offers.

She grins appreciatively. "And oriental paper lanterns lighting the faces of--"

"Close family and friends."

"Instead of about fifty people I don't even know."

He laughs softly and she smiles. But yet another moment is lost as the door bursts open.

"Kee-ly!"

"Hey!"

"You are so _beautiful_." She sniffs and dabs her eyes with her all ready tear-moistened tissue. "I'm gonna start crying all over again."

Phil shakes his head. "No. No tears. I know how this works." He points at her. "You cry, then," he says pointing at Keely, "she cries, makeup runs, and we have another crisis." He looks sternly at the pair. "And we don't have time for that now."

They ignore him. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Great. Extremely nervous and slightly terrified, a tad ill, but over all...good."

"Gimme a hug, girl!"

"Thanks for being here, Tia," she says as she is enveloped in a warm embrace from her childhood friend.

"I gotta go get in place," she says quickly breaking the moment. Keely rolls her eyes as she excitedly bounds out the door.

Outside the small room, Via stops her. "How is she?"

Tia nods. "She's definitely putting up a good front."

"She's just nervous."

"Should a girl who's about to marry the guy she claims to want to spend the rest of her life with, be that nervous?"

Via frowns. "Personally, I wouldn't know. But I'm assuming nervousness on this day is perfectly normal."

Tia shrugs and walks away, leaving Via to contemplate the validity of her own statement as she taps her knuckles against the door.

Phil opens it, but she brushes on by him without any acknowledgment. "I have checked and rechecked everything, and you are set. Not a thing is out of place. Everything is absolutely gorgeous and running along smoothly."

"Thanks, Via," she sighs in relief. "You are the glue holding this thing together. You know that right?"

She smiles. "I know. You look beautiful, Keely." She glances over at Phil. "And you look very handsome."

He shrugs. "Nah."

"Really, you do." She points at his dress shirt. "Midnight blue is absolutely your color."

"Isn't it?" Keely replies cheerfully.

Phil rolls his eyes at the two of them. Predictable. Very predictable. Even after three years of not spending every day with each other, they are still on the same page, paragraph for paragraph. For a moment, he wonders how that is possible, but then he remembers, he and Keely are on the same page too. Since graduating high school, they have spent months apart at times, but they never have lost their places. They are page for page, line for line, and word for word every time.

"You should have given Owen a few tips on proper attire for such an occasion as this," she says to Phil.

Keely grimaces. "What does he have on?" Her eyes widen. "He's not wearing that insanely hideous tie is he? And he's not telling the guests the joke behind it, right?"

"Put your fears to rest, Keely. I have Owen under control. He knows he is not to move from his seat until further notice."

Phil chuckles. "Yeah, he's finally coming along quite well, Keel."

Via gives him a little wink and turns back to Keely. "I better get back out there. Your mother was recovering from her fourth breakdown when I last saw her," she says carefully.

Keely shakes her head. "She's not gonna make it. Is she?"

"I've given her a little something to drink to help calm the anxiety."

"Via!"

"Don't worry about a thing. It's just an old remedy." She moves to the door. "She should be perfectly fine by the time you walk down the aisle." She smiles. "We'll begin in..." she says checking the clock on the wall above the door. "Seven minutes. Remember, the band is your cue. Third violin."

"Third violin," Keely repeats without much confidence.

"Just keep an eye on the guy with the white hair."

She nods, and Via gives her a quick hug before turning to Phil. "You take care of her."

"Of course," he replies without hesitation. Via tosses him a smile of understanding and slips out the door.

"Seven minutes," Keely says inhaling a deep breath. "Seven minutes and I'm gonna be..." She looks at Phil doubtfully.

"Yeah. Pretty wild, huh?" he says with a slightly nervous laugh.

"Am I doing the right thing, Phil?"

"What..do you mean?" he asks carefully.

"Do I _really_ _really_ want this?"

He shakes his head. "I can't answer that for you, Keel."

"Yes you can," she says urgently. "You know me better than I know myself." She steps closer to him. "Look at me, Phil, and tell me this is what I want."

"It..." He hesitates. "It is."

His truth has a vague bitterness to it, but she shakes it off. "Ok..."

She wishes she could be more certain, more certain of his affirmation and of her own. She really wishes the complicated emotions wouldn't have chosen this day to show themselves, especially this day. But, right on cue, her deep-rooted feelings for him have officially returned in full foliage.

"Hey, look at this, Keel."

She looks around to find him leaning up against the wall next to the window. She didn't even realize he had moved.

"What is he doing?"

"He appears to have," Phil replies squinting his eyes, "toilet paper in his hand."

"Phil," Keely says fearfully, "why would Owen have a roll of toilet paper?" Her voice rises in pitch. "And why isn't he sitting in his seat like Via explicitly instructed!"

"Keel, I'm sure he's just goofing around. You know Owen."

"Yeah, that's kinda the problem."

"He's running around to the front now." He turns to her. "And grinning like a maniac."

Keely closes her eyes and rubs her temples. "Please don't let there be Charmin blowing in the wind when I make my grand exit."

"Charmin? Owen?" Phil scoffs. "Not unless he stole it."

"This isn't funny."

"But it will be." He wags his finger at her. "You will laugh at this day eventually, Keely." He shrugs. "Probably before it's even over. Mark my words."

She narrows her eyes at him. "Your little friend pulls some stupid stunt and you bet I'm gonna be laughing before the day's even over. Yeah, and it won't stop until about the time they slap on the straight-jacket and stick a big, thick needle in my arm."

"And _that_ would make this day even funnier."

"And I thought having you in here with me would be a good thing."

He smiles. "I better get out there. The time's a tickin'."

"White-hair-guy. Third violin," she says to herself as she slowly breathes in and out, in and out while following Phil to the door.

He turns back to her. There's a weight settling upon him. He didn't notice it before. It feels like regret. It feels like finality. He watches her as she repeats her mantra. He smiles, and gently takes her in his arms.

She leans into him, and their bodies mold together perfectly. She breathes out a light sigh and closes her eyes. For a moment, brief as it is, her nervousness disappears, fades away with each steady beat of his heart against her chest.

"I'll see you down the aisle," he says quietly.

"Thank you."

They release their hold on each other.

"Anytime," he says with a smile. "Now, whatever happens out there, whether it be regurgitation or bliss..." His smile fades. "Just know that you are...truly..radiantly..beautiful today, Keely," he finishes in a quiet, sincere voice.

He's out the door before his heartfelt words, and the soft expression on his face, the intensity in his eyes, can even begin to register. When they finally do, her seven minutes have expired.

On the first violin, the attendants proceed to take their places. On the second violin, the guests rise to their feet. Several seconds later, on the third violin, the bride appears.

She puts on her best smile and takes her first step towards the rest of her life. The sound of the soft violins, the white orchids adorning the front of the church with its vaulted ceilings and mahogany rafters, the stained glass windows illuminated by sunlight, the satin ribbons gracing the rows of benches, she takes it all in. She sees the group of loved ones near the end of the aisle, smiling, and her mother with kind eyes glistening with tears of happiness and pride. She sees the bright smiles of her best friends waiting for her up ahead in their beautiful lavender dresses...

And him.

These are the reasons she wanted him to stay, the reasons she was overjoyed when he did.

She never told him during that one weekend in the summer after graduating high school they spent at the beach, sitting in the sand from sunset to sunrise, just talking about nothing. She never told him the night before she left for college, she never told him as they stared out at the silver moonlight reflecting off the lake. She never told him while her favorite song blared on the radio and they danced on the hood of her mom's car. She never told him while he dipped her and she giggled and sang along to the music. She never told him as the song slowed and their bodies touched and his breath warmed the skin of her neck. She never told him as another song, a loud and contagious dance beat, began to play, and they laughed as he spun her around.

She never told him the day she came home for semester break and he gazed at her with a strange look in his eyes and she was worried their time spent apart would make them different, but he had embraced her, she returned it, he made a wisecrack, she smacked his shoulder, and they were everything she remembered. But she never told him.

And then she met the other one. And she fell in love. She didn't think she could, but she did. And she didn't want to tell him anymore. But now...

He watches her.

The silky flow of her elegant dress, the sparkle of her delicate diamond necklace upon her chest, the warm tint in her smooth cheeks, the shy yet confident way she carries herself, the soft curling tendrils of hair framing her face and resting upon her bare shoulders, the gentle smile on her lips, the glow surrounding her...

These are the reasons he wanted to stay, the reasons he was overjoyed when he did.

He never told her before the time machine was fixed; he never told her after it was fixed but his family decided to stay. He never told her that night after the Prom they had gone to as 'just friends' where they had danced so slow, so close, and he'd planned to confess his feelings, take the plunge, but whispered words were lost as the loud thumping music filled the night. And again, he never told her at her front door while Owen's car horn sounded out a cheery little tune as he drove up the street, and then back down, and then up once more before the rumbling of his pipes had faded away.

He never told her after they had walked on stage and received their diplomas. He never told her at the after-party or the family get-together-celebration-lunch the next day. He never told her the day she stood beside the car with her luggage at her feet. And he never told her the day he visited her at college a few weeks later or while she showed him the sights of the big city. He never told her on the Thanksgiving she brought her boyfriend home to meet her mom. He never told her the day a year ago when she called him at two o'clock in the morning with the big news...

He couldn't do it then.

Phil's eyes never leave her face. Naturally, she finds him in the front row and automatically locks onto his gaze. Something passes between them in this moment. Something that she knew was there, he knew was there, but they had held it inside themselves and never let it go. Until now...

She steps up on her mark, just like she had practiced a dozen times before this day. It's involuntary, it's programmed. Does she really mean to do it?

She looks into his eyes. They are blue. They are filled with love. For her. He smiles. She smiles. She loves him too. She really does.

The guests sit, the music stops, and she can finally hear the pounding of her heart.

The minister speaks. The words are familiar, they are well rehearsed and well remembered. The vows. The sacred declaration between a man and a woman in love, expressing their commitment to one another.

His words are warm. Her heart responds to them, but something is missing.

It's her turn. The words in her mind, will they be spoken for him?

The seconds slow and her breath disappears. The minister awaits, the man standing in front of her awaits, the crowd awaits. She glances out at the sea of faces. She glances down to him.

He looks nervous, but he quickly smiles. However, she's not encouraged. She's only further confused.

Does she love him? Absolutely.

Does he love her? She's certain.

Can they be together? Technically.

Should they be together? That's questionable.

Is it wrong to have these thoughts while standing before the man who has asked to take your hand in marriage? Who has just pledged to be ever faithful to you? To love and cherish and honor you forever?

Very.

But can she change the way she feels?

Never.

How can she say 'I do' when her heart's pounding out 'I don't'?

"I can't," she whispers.

The minister raises his eyebrows. Her fiance pales. His family section gasps. Her family section stares in shock. Via and Tia exchange winks. Mrs. Diffy hides her smile, her husband furrows his brow in confusion along with Owen sitting next to him. Pim rolls her eyes, but then grins and nudges her brother in the side.

His face is blank, completely, utterly blank.

A few more excruciatingly long seconds pass, and then the entire church erupts into chaos. Abruptly, Keely grabs his hand and quickly leads him to the nearest door.

Outside the emergency exit, outside in the bright afternoon sun, she releases his hand and closes her eyes.

"Keely?"

She holds up a finger, signaling him to give her a moment as she desperately tries to find a breath and keep the meager contents of her stomach from expelling themselves. Regurgitation. Phil. With a mental curse at him, she shakes her head. Well, she thinks, the laughter hasn't come yet.

"Ok," she greedily gulps down some air, "Ok."

"Was something wrong with the ceremony? Are you sick?"

"I can't marry you."

She tries to explain it to him, she tries to explain something she doesn't quite understand herself. He doubts she ever loved him, but he's wrong. She did love him. A part of her still does. But her heart is with someone else.

He looks down at the cement.

"You must think I'm such a horrible person," she says quietly.

He nods. "I'm not too fond of you right now, no." He shakes his head. "But I could never hate you."

"I am so sorry I've done this to you and..in front of everyone like that..."

"Well, at least you didn't wait until _after_ 'I do' to decide you didn't want this," he says with a shrug.

"I could've said something sooner, I should have. I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

She bites down on her lip and looks at the door. "I have to make it up to your family, I mean, this wedding, the cost and the planning and all the trouble everyone went through--"

"Don't worry about it," he says waving her off. "I'm sure these things happen often. Probably not as often as in the movies, but I'm sure you're not the first woman to realize during the actual ceremony that she doesn't want to marry the guy who proposed to her." He offers her a small smile. "Instead...she wants the one sitting in the crowd, the one who never took his eyes off her."

"You knew?"

"I knew that Phil was secretly in love with my girlfriend? My fiancee? My bride-to-be-but-never-was?" He sighs. "I knew. I think a part of me even knew that you felt the same way."

"I feel terrible."

"It's all right," he says slowly. "It's always the best friend, isn't it?" he asks with a light chuckle.

Keely rolls her eyes. "It's like this screenplay flying around the planet."

"And looks like it hit you."

A disturbing sound comes from inside the church. They both look at the door. "Was that a scream?"

"That sounded like Aunt Coral." He gestures to the door. "I should get inside, someone's gotta tell them..." He laughs as his hand comes to rest on the door knob. "My brothers are really gonna lay it on me. They spent their entire monthly paychecks on my bachelor's party."

Keely winces and moves to follow him inside, but he shakes his head. "You don't have to come in, I'll handle it."

"No, I'm the one who...I should--"

"My aunt."

"Right."

"Stay here, ok? Just to be on the safe side," he says lightly.

"Daniel, I'm sorry."

He nods. "I'll send him out." Keely furrows her brow. "I'm sure he'll be looking for you," he says with a kind and understanding smile before leaving her standing outside the back of the church with nothing but the pavement and a dumpster. She smiles to herself. He really is a great guy. So understanding, but that's just him. Hopefully, he will find someone who deserves that.

Within a couple minutes, Phil quietly steps out the door. He timidly watches for her a moment as he tries to decide on an appropriate way to initiate the conversation, the conversation he is entirely clueless as to what its contents and outcome will be.

"Hey."

His shirt is rumpled, his silver tie hangs loosely around his neck, and his hair sticks up in various directions, which Keely assumes to be due to the constant running of his hand through it. She smiles inwardly as she thinks of his one out of a dozen nervous habits. Maybe she will have that laugh eventually after all.

She sighs and asks cautiously, "Is it bad in there?"

"It's...a little dangerous right now, yeah."

"How's my mom?"

"She was giggling when I left."

"_Giggling_?" she asks in disbelief. She furrows her brow. "What did Via give her?"

"I don't know..." he says with a smile, "but she must have slipped my mom some too."

She closes her eyes briefly. "I have never been so embarrassed. I don't think I can face those people in there ever again." She frowns. "Where's the Invisi-Spray when you need it?"

"Well, the bright side?" he says with a shrug. "Most of them you don't know and don't live around here...so problem solved."

"And my own family and friends?"

"Are taking everything really well." He chuckles. "They're kind of sticking out like sore thumbs in there, though."

"They are?"

He nods. "Oh yeah. Especially when Tia started cheering."

"She didn't."

"Yeah, but it was a very supportive cheer. 'Go Keely go!'," he says with a little demonstration as he waves his arms about and finishes with a kick.

"Oh my god."

She leans up against the wall and places her hands on her knees. Phil carefully approaches her. "So...what happened back there?"

"Were you not watching?" she asks glancing up at him. He stares at her with a dull expression and she sighs. "You were supposed to be right. You said I wanted it. You were wrong."

"No..actually...I just lied." He smiles. "I thought I was being a stand-up guy, bowing out gracefully and all that. When all I really wanted to do was kiss you."

She straightens her spine. "Well, you should have. That whole scene could have been avoided," she says gesturing at the door.

"Maybe a lot of things could've been avoided if I would've done that the first time I ever had the urge to."

She raises her eyebrow. "And when was that?"

"Oh...about five seconds after I met you." He grins. "Or maybe five seconds before that."

She smiles, but she suppresses the laughter threatening to escape her. Instead, she looks down at the ground. "We should have been together, Phil."

"We still can be."

"Is it right, though?"

"It feels right." He moves towards her slowly. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Suddenly, they hear a crash of glass and a muffled voice. They exchange worried glances as Tia barrels through the door.

"Hey, there you are! Ooh, I hope the big vase on that column thingy wasn't a gift."

"Decoration."

"Oh good. Anyway, everyone on the groom's side is filing on out like sheep now, so...it's safe to return." She smiles. "Unless, of course, you're busy out here, and you'd rather be alone. I'm positive everyone left inside would understand that."

Keely rolls her eyes. "We'll be there in a minute."

"Ok, I'll clear ya a path through the debris."

Phil waits until she's through the door before turning back to Keely. "So..."

"We have a lot to discuss."

"We do?" he asks slightly confused.

"Yeah, I mean, we live on opposite sides of the country, Phil. How's that gonna work?"

"Right. There's that."

"It's a big problem," she says with a sigh. "We'll have to work out som--"

"I'll move."

"What?"

"I'll move."

She stares at him for a moment, testing his commitment to his offer. He appears to be dead serious about it. "But what about college? Your life in L.A.?"

"I can go to school here in New York." He shrugs. "Plenty of colleges to choose from in the area and with my impressive academic record," he says with a little smirk, "who are they to refuse a transfer? It'd only be their gain after all."

She rolls her eyes. "All right, super-nerd-boy. And your friends?"

"You mean Owen? Trust me, he'll always be around."

"You'd really move here? For me?"

"Of course."

She considers the implications of that, as if she didn't realize them before. "Wow."

"Come on," he says as he takes her by the hand and leads her back into the church.

"Uhh..hey guys," Keely says cautiously as they come to stand before their friends and family.

Mandy and Barbara offer them affectionate glances while Lloyd, Pim, and Owen stare at them expectantly. Tia and Via cross their arms over their chests and nod their approval at the sight of their two friend holding hands. But nobody is speaking. The room is much too quiet. Luckily, there's Owen.

"Hey, you're the one who booked the place for the reception, right?" he asks with a clap of his hands as he looks at Keely's mom.

"Yes, Owen."

"Wellll...I'd hate to see such an awesome party venue go to waste."

Via clears her throat. He nods. "And all the hard work put into setting it up."

"I have to agree," says Barbara.

"I could stand to get my funk on," says Lloyd.

Pim nods. "I could care less what we do as long as I can get out of these freakin' shoes."

Owen grins. "To the limo we go?"

"The limo? It's still out there?" Keely asks curiously.

"Well, yeah," Owen replies with a chuckle, "It's not as if the happy bride and groom zoomed off in it."

Phil glances over at Keely. "It is a _really big _limo."

She smiles. "You talked me into it."

"Let's go party people!" Owen exclaims as he puts his arms around Via and Tia. Mandy and Pim walk off discussing the pain in their feet. Lloyd firmly pats Phil's back and his mom gives him a wink.

Alone in the massive church, the empty, slightly askew, massive church, Phil and Keely look around before setting their gazes on each other. He smiles.

"Intimate gathering under the stars, huh?"

"Don't forget the piano and lanterns."

They walk down the aisle to the wooden double doors, their hands intertwined, refusing to let go. He gently tugs on her hand as he opens the door for her.

"And one more thing, Keel?"

"Yeah?" she replies stepping out into the warm sunshine.

"When it's time to say, 'I Keely'..." He frowns. "Don't pull a runaway, please."

She scoffs. "Are you kidding?" She shakes her head firmly. "We are _not _doing traditional wedding vows."

"No?"

"Traditional for _us_?" she asks incredulously.

He chuckles. "I get you."

"Besides," she says with a shrug, "I've got a few things of my own I'd like to say."

"I wouldn't jump the gun, Keel," he says teasingly. "I mean, you don't even know Relationship-Phil." He scoffs. "He could be a real load."

"No, I don't know _that_ particular Phil, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna like him. _A lot_."

A light flapping noise draws his attention away from her. "So... you won't hold my little friend's stupid stunt against me?" he asks glancing skywards with a grimace.

Keely slowly lifts her head to see the long ribbons of white stretching from the roof out into the breeze.

"He's gonna stay in California, right?"

A pair of arms wave wildly from the sunroof of the large white limo. "Keely! Phil! Let's get this bad boy on the open road!"

She frowns as he leans in closer to whisper in her ear. "Go easy on him? You know...the poor guy _did_ have a crush on you in high school."

"Who _didn't_ he have a crush on in high school?" she scoffs.

"Good point, but," he says holding up his finger, "he _really_ had a crush on you."

"Then why didn't he ever act on it?"

Phil clears his throat as he nonchalantly pulls on his collar, and she finally breaks into laughter.

"Ha! What'd I tell you, huh?" he says with a proud grin. He bows dramatically. "Thank you, thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbles as she leads him to the limousine.


End file.
